How Not To Use Your Frequent Flyer Miles

We all know that points and miles are not always easy to get, it can take years or even decades to amass a huge quantity, and then what do you do? It can be easy to realize that you have hundreds of thousands of miles and be so giddy with excitement that you just want to spend them on something, anything! But beware. Even though there are many ways to spend your miles, there are several ways that you shouldn’t. Follow this guide and ensure that your frequent flier miles are used for good instead of evil.

Do Not Spend Them On Expensive Merchandise

We all know that lure of getting a big expensive item, such as a big screen television, can be tempting, especially if you have gathered a large amount of miles, but you should probably try to avoid spending those miles recklessly. The reason is because you want to get as big of a bang from your miles if you can, If you had 361,399 air miles and spent them on a television that costs as little as $1,449 at many stores, that would mean that you are only getting approximately 0.4 cents for each mile, that is less than a penny per mile, and you would probably want to get more use out of each precious mile. You are better off buying the television with your air mileage benefit card and ending up with more miles that you can then use for that dream vacation.

Do Not Let Them Expire

It may seem obvious but probably the worst thing you can do with your miles is to let them expire. You worked hard to get those miles and letting them expire is equivalent to literally flushing your money down the toilet. In the absolute worst-case scenario, if you see that some of your points are about to expire, use them for something flight-related or otherwise. If you don’t want to spend foolishly, check the small print in your rewards contract. Often times, all you need to do is to buy something small in order to earn a couple of points to keep your balance active.

Do Not Transfer Your Miles To Another Person Or Entity

If you have a friend or family member that requests to use your frequent flyer miles, you should book the trip with your card, and under no circumstance should you transfer your points to someone else’s card. Even though it seems like a nice thing to do, there are charges and fees associated with transferring your points. For instance, many programs charge you a processing fee of at least $20, and that is before paying up to 1 to 2 cents in fees per transferred mile, which adds up. The best thing to do is to keep your miles and use them wisely.